If your Uber Eats application is stuck, the background check is usually only one part of the delay. You still need the right identity file, the right delivery mode, and the right supporting documents, and you should set up MyCarTracks mileage tracking before your first approved shift so your first business miles do not disappear.
This review is more specific than a generic app signup. Uber Eats can check your driving history, your age, and your criminal history, and some states or cities can add their own rules on top.
What the background check looks at
The source family keeps three screening checks separate, and it helps to keep them separate in your own file too:
- Motor vehicle report.
- Age verification.
- Criminal history.
This is not a credit check.
Extra state or city rules can still apply
Your screening file can be correct and still fail a local rule. One example in the source set is New York City, where Taxi and Limousine Commission rules can add a drug test, a defensive-driving course, a 24-hour driver-education course, and an exam.
That is why you should treat “background check” as one approval step, not the whole approval story.
Why Uber can screen you again later
Uber’s annual background-check help page explains that screening is rerun at least once a year and, in some cities, even more often.
Usually this happens automatically. If the app needs something from you, answer it right away and save the prompt, the upload, and the confirmation.
How your driving history is reviewed
For car or scooter delivery, the motor vehicle report does two things: it confirms that your license is current, and it checks how long you have been driving.
The source family keeps these thresholds explicit:
- At least 3 years of driving history if you are under 25.
- At least 1 year of driving history if you are 25 or older.
The motor vehicle report can also surface incidents from the last 7 years. The source material does not promise that every minor infraction will block approval, but it is clear that serious driving history can matter.
How age verification works
Most states use a minimum driving age of 19 for Uber Eats car delivery, but some states set a higher bar. Bicycle and foot delivery can still default to age 18 where those modes are available.
| Minimum driving age | States |
|---|---|
| 19 | Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming |
| 23 | Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota |
| 25 | California, Delaware, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, New Jersey, New York (suburbs and upstate), North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Washington |
If you are close to an age cutoff, confirm the exact rule before you assume a delay is a document problem.
When criminal history can block approval
Both convictions and pending charges can matter. The source family names three charge groups that automatically disqualify the application:
- Murder.
- Sexual assault.
- Terrorism-related crimes.
In some areas, additional local rules can still matter. Some applicants may need to show rehabilitation or good character, and some pending charges may only be reviewable again after the case changes or is dismissed.
How to start the screening file
The screening process starts when you apply to deliver. Keep these details clean and consistent:
- Social Security number in the US.
- Driver’s license number if you will deliver by car or scooter.
- Vehicle details when a motor vehicle is part of the file.
- Proof of auto insurance when a car or scooter is part of the file.
- The same legal name, phone number, and email address across every application step.
If a screening partner asks for additional documents, save the request and the exact file you sent back.
How long the review can take
A clean file can still take a few business days. The source family and Uber help both point to a common timing range of 3 to 5 business days, but that is not a guarantee.
Courthouse access, local government processes, and missing documents can push the timeline longer.
What usually slows the review down
Delays often come from one of these issues:
- Your local courthouse or government process is moving slowly.
- The screening partner cannot access a needed record yet.
- You still need to upload a Social Security number, driver’s license, or another document.
- Your driving history has not been verified.
- The screening partner asked for more information and the email was missed.
Do not assume every hold is a screening failure. Some “background check” delays are really document or delivery-mode problems.
How to see your current status
If Checkr handled the review, use the Checkr Candidate Portal in the same step where you want the status update. You may see these labels:
- Onboarding: Your file is still moving through the screening process.
- Waitlisted or Suspended: Uber likely needs more documentation or another review step before activation can continue.
- Consider: The report is complete and Uber is reviewing the result.
- Active: You are approved to deliver.
If HireRight or Samba Safety handled the screening, use Uber account chat for the status check instead.
What to do if Uber Eats rejects the screening
Start by finding out whether the problem is the report itself or Uber’s final decision after reviewing the report.
If the report is wrong or incomplete, use the vendor dispute path:
Uber’s dispute guidance is explicit that the screening vendor handles report accuracy, while Uber keeps the final partnership decision after reviewing the original or revised report.
If nothing in the file can be corrected, the source family points to a later reapplication window rather than an immediate retry. Keep the denial notice, the reason, the dispute file, and the date you can try again.
How this differs outside the US
Canada
Canada uses a different vendor flow. The official delivery page names ISB and Triton as the screening vendors. Car delivery also includes a driving-history check, while bike or foot delivery uses criminal-history screening tied to the courier setup in that province or city.
United Kingdom
The UK courier page treats background checks as part of a larger onboarding sequence. You may need a separate right-to-work or disclosure file, and the instructions can arrive by email and SMS instead of looking like a single US-style screening dashboard.
Germany
Germany is more partner- and fleet-based. The official page is stronger on fleet setup and VAT timing than on a standalone individual background-check flow, so you should not assume the US screening process maps directly to German courier onboarding.
What to save while the file is under review
Keep one onboarding folder with:
- Application confirmation.
- Background-check consent.
- Vendor status messages.
- Approval, denial, or adverse-action notices.
- Dispute case numbers.
- Corrected documents.
- Uber support messages.
- Delivery-mode approval.
- First-delivery date.
Questions you may still have
How far back does the Uber Eats driving-history check go?
The source family uses a 7-year lookback for the motor vehicle report. Criminal-history review is broader and is not presented with the same short lookback.
How do you fix a bad Uber Eats background check result?
You fix the report by disputing the inaccurate or incomplete information with the screening vendor, then you keep the corrected report and the vendor case number together.
Why can an Uber Eats background check drag on for so long?
The usual reasons are court-record delays, missing documents, extra information requests, or unresolved driving-history verification.
What does “Consider” mean in the status tracker?
It means the background check itself is complete and the account is still under review before final activation.
Mileage tracking and tax deductions after approval
Once the account is active, start mileage tracking on the first day instead of waiting for tax season. Early mileage logs make later tax deductions easier to defend, and they give you a cleaner way to separate business driving from personal errands or any reimbursement question that comes up later.
MyCarTracks workflow
Use MyCarTracks for onboarding-related driving, first deliveries, and support errands. Keep those tags separate from personal driving so startup records do not get lost before tax season.
Later, keep your business mileage reports with your approval notices and vendor emails. If you want the broader product overview, use MyCarTracks.
What to read next
- Uber Eats Background Check
- Uber Eats Driver Guide
- Uber Eats Mileage Guide
- Uber Eats Pay Guide
- Uber Eats Requirements
- Uber Eats Tax Deductions
- Uber Eats Tax Forms
- Uber Eats Tax Guide
- Uber Eats Vehicle and Delivery Mode Rules